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Iraqi dreams of a better life take root in
Kurdistan region
4.4.2008
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April 4, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq, --
Jubilation at the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime
in 2003 has in most parts of Iraq descended into
nightmare. But in Erbil, capital of the autonomous
Kurdistan region in the north, the dream of better
times ahead lives on.
As in the booming emirate of Dubai to the southeast
in the Gulf, workers from Bangladesh clean the wide
roads of the city as luxury sedans speed past.
Hundreds of new buildings are under construction,
both in the city centre and in outlying
neighbourhoods. Rows of offices, shops and sprawling
malls rise seemingly as quickly as mushrooms from
the earth.
In central Erbil, high-rise buildings are under
construction on the site of what was once a
cemetery. Cranes there shift many tonnes of concrete
each day.
Bank ATM machines, public gardens, bowling alleys
and even a water park -- development in the city is
in striking contrast to the capital Baghdad,www.ekurd.net
where the main
construction industry involves erecting blast walls
against car bombs.
A tall concrete tower rises near Erbil's
international airport which has daily flights to
several countries in the Middle East and Europe.
The Empire Building, a 22-storey luxury hotel, will
be the tallest in the whole of northern Iraq's
Kurdistan region.
Dozens of other hotels are also under construction,
with some promising five-star "dream rooms" to
clients.
"We want to provide a safe and secure environment
for investors," said Falah Mustafa, a senior
official from the foreign affairs department of the
regional administration.
"We want to encourage private sector and foreign
investor participation. Kurdistan is open for
business and can be used as a gateway to the rest of
Iraq."
The regional administration last year established a
board to promote foreign investment and also passed
a law favouring investors.
On the back of this, dozens of foreign companies --
especially oil majors -- signed agreements with the
regional government for projects in the region.
The residential property sector is also vibrant.
Large billboards announcing new housing projects
such as Dream City, British Village and Royal City
have sprung up across the city.
The developments, being constructed on a former
military base of Saddam's armed forces, offer huge
condominiums and luxury homes priced at around
250,000 dollars each.
Rows and rows of recently finished detached houses
stretch along the main roads.
From the ancient citadel in the middle of Erbil, the
view is eclectic as old minarets share a skyline
with a jumble of unfinished concrete towers, tall
cranes and relay towers of cellular phone companies.
The future of the autonomous region is largely
dependent on the booming oil sector, which aims to
produce at least 100,000 barrels of crude a day.
Iraqi Kurds want to present the region of five
million people as a haven of peace and stability,
and to demonstrate how calm the situation is on
Wednesday they opened a week-long international book
fair in Erbil.
The authorities say they have formed a vibrant
parliamentary democracy where fundamental rights are
guaranteed, including those of minorities such as
Christians who have sought refuge there after
fleeing the more volatile areas of Iraq.
At the heart of smooth governance of the autonomous
region is a cooperation agreement between Kurdistan
region president Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan
Democratic Party and Iraqi president Jalal
Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,www.ekurd.net
which came together to
form the administration.
All may be calm in the city, but not all is bright.
"Erbil has big problems
with trying to provide enough electricity, the cost
of living is high and there's also a lot of
corruption," said one foreign investor who asked not
to be named.
"These are the main concerns of residents," he
added.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, AFP
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